Justus a



(No Model.)

J. A. TRAUT.

GLAPBOARD BRACKET.

Patented Jan. 31, 1888.

il'nrrnn rATEs JUSTUS A. TRAUT, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE STANLEY RULE AND LEVEL COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CLAPBOARD-BRACKET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 377,178, dated January 31, 1888.

Application filed October 24, 1887. Serial No. 253,222. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JUsrUs A. TRAUT, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clapboard-Brackets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in clapboard-brackets, and the main object of my invention is to more securely and conveniently secure the bracket in place.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of my bracket, together with portions of a clapboarded siding to which it it is applied. Fig. 2 shows a vertical section of the siding with a section of my bracket, partly in elevation, on line a" a2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a horizontal section, partly in plan view, on line y y of Fig. 2.

A designates the main frame or base of my bracket, having on its flat side a thin plate, a, from which two projecting blades, I), extend upwardly, the same being adapted to extend up under the clapboard last nailed in place, as shown in Fig. 2, and as indicated by the broken lines at b b in Fig. 1. Upon this base I also secure a spring. 0, having at its upper end a bladelike spur, (Z, which stands at right angles to the plate a, and is adapted when the spring is depressed to slightly enter into the face of the elapboards and prevent the bracket from falling out of place. In order to operate this spur I pivot within the baseA the camf, said cam being provided with an operating-handle, The cam is so formed that when the handle is thrown into a central position, with its end resting against the back of the spring 0, as indicated by broken lines in Fig. 8, the spring will withdraw the bladelike spur from the clapboard; but when it is thrown either to the left or to the right, as shown in the drawings, the cam forces the bladelike spur into the wood.

Extending upwardly from the base A is an extensible upright, C, bearing the bracket g, for gaging and supporting the next clapboard while it is being nailed in place. This extensible upright may be of any ordinary construction. As shown, it consists of two parts fitted to slide one upon the other and held in place by a clamp-bolt and nut, h, one member of the upright being slotted, so that the body of the bolt will not interfere with its longitudinal adjustment.

To secure my bracket in position it is only necessary to turn the handle and cam f into their central position, so that the blade-like spur does not project. Then crowd the blade like extensions 6 up under the clapboard last secured in place until the upper edge of the base is stopped by contact with the lower edge of said clapboard. Then swing the handle and cam to either side to force the blade like spur into the wood, which spur prevents the bracket from falling, while the extensions I) prevent it from moving away from the clap boards. To remove the bracket it is only necessary to turn the handle of the cam into its central position and then press the bracket downward to withdraw the extension b,thereby releasing the complete device.

It should be noticed that by the foregoing construction the blade-like spur enters the wood just under the lower edge of a clapboard, whereby any mark left by said spur will be partially concealed from sight and also protected from the weather.

I am aware that a prior patent shows a clapboard-bracket having a frame, a cam, and a plate, the upper end of which was adapted to extend up under a clapboard, while the opposite end of said plate formed a spring and was provided with a spur for being forced into the wood under the action of said can), and I hereby disclaim the same.

I claim as my invention- In a clapboardbracket, the main frame or base A, having on its flat side the thin plate a, with the upwardly-projecting blades adapted to extend up under the clapboard, the spring 0, secured by its lower end to said plate a and having at its upper end the blade-likc spur d, adapted to enter the wood at a point near the upper edge of the main frame or base A, and the cam for forcing said spur into the wood, substantially as described, and for the purpose specified.

JUSTUS A. TRAUT.

Witnesses:

H. S. WALTER, W. J. WORAM. 

